What's In A Name?
by Venn D. Redi
Summary: It started with a name. Aurelia Willow. That's my name. Stupid, I know. But names hold importance. I learnt that when it held the power to seal my fate into the Games - without a mentor, I might add. I also learnt they're important when someone started sending me gifts in the Games, signed only 'F'. I didn't know who they were. Until my name brought me back to the arena.
1. Prologue

_"__What is yours but is used more by others?"_

It was a riddle. The same riddle my grandma always told me whenever this particular day came round every year. It was a morbid joke of hers, considering the circumstances. The circumstances that made everyone feel antsy when this time of year came round and everyone became protective of their name.

And that was the answer to the riddle. _Your name._

Mine was Aurelia. Aurelia Willow. A name, I thought, was utterly stupid. You could say it anyway and it would still remain horrible. This would probably be because it was made up by my mother who had named me _Eli _when I was born, having thought I was a boy. But after having a closer look and realising that yes, I was of the female gender, she modified the name to suit a girl.

So I was left with Aurelia. Pronounced _Aur-ee-lee-ya._ Couldn't I have had something nice. Like _Lucielle _or _Mariela. _Something proper and cute. I already had to share my last name with a _tree_.

But no, I was left with a name that most people frown at when they see. Always, they would pause at the name, squint their eyes and take a guess in trying to pronounce it.

Which is exactly what happened when the over chirpy lady with the dark purple hair and yellow skin did when she unfurled that piece of paper.

_Aurelia Willows._

Everyone turned to look at me. Stood there, dressed in my mother's old, greying white dress, was me. The girl who was too shocked to even realise that her name had been called, and pronounced wrong. I didn't know how to function and my feet forgot that they could actually move.

But a gentle push to the side reminded me that I had to go up. I had to go and collect that slip of paper. I had to accept my fate. I had to go and fight for my life. I had to go and play in the Hunger Games.

And that's how it all started.

With a name. My name.

Which is honestly what haunted me more than most. My name was only in there once. _Once_. Amongst all the piles of repeated names for the children who needed tessare. I was fortunate with a grandma who could make a meal out of anything and had a farm full of animals at the ready. But my name was called. It was called and it set my fate, reminding me that no one can escape the evil power the Capitol holds over us.

I had to face that anxiety-filled train ride to the Capitol. I had to have my hair waxed, I had to dress up for interviews, I had to show myself off in order to have an attempt at winning.

The male tribute selected District 10 had been a small 12 year old. He died quickly in the Blood Bath. It was quick I think. Well, I hope.

I was left with no allies, and no mentors. All the previous District 10 victors had died - old age or suicide. As for allies, I was someone who worked better alone, so I left the others to betray and kill each other off.

There were numerous times where I could have died. _Would have _died actually. Had it not been for the parachutes that came down with items I sorely needed. A loaf of bread, a water bottle, a knife, some ointment. They all came floating down with a little message from someone called _'F'. _

I still have those messages. Tucked away in the small chest in my room, which contained the small tokens I still have, are those little strips of paper which had written on them those messages.

_Looked like you needed it. - F_

_Apply generously. - F_

_To stab in the back. - F_

I never found out who he was, who _'F' _was. I wanted to. God I so desperately wanted to know who aided me in the Games and saved my life countless times. It had to be a mentor or someone else of high stature that could have helped me. Which was puzzling as to why they would be helping _me._

The first words I spoke after winning were to my stylist, asking who '_F' was. _No one knew and it confused everyone. The media went crazy about it and someone people came forward saying it was them. I didn't believe any of them.

So I was left to go back to District 10. I had more money than I needed and could finally give my grandmother the life she deserved. I was left with the nightmares of all the spilt blood in that _goddamn _arena. I was left with the fact that I had won by, what was said to be, sheer dumb luck. When it came down to me being the in the last two and I had to finally face the last person alive, they sent in a mutated tiger who sprung onto the girl from One, not me.

My grandma had said that it was my connection to animals. She had said that it wasn't luck, but love.

Either way, I was left alone to live a life of peace with my grandma in the Victor's village, haunted. My games had passed but I was still called back in every year to help aid the unlucky others who were reaped. I had managed to help another boy from Ten win the games. Each gift I sent him reminding me of the ones I got from _'F'._

To this day, I still don't know who they are. Just _'F'._

Names, as unimportant as they may seem, really do hold a lot of power.


	2. Announcements

I only watched the Games so my grandmother wouldn't be murdered.

Had the unspoken, yet imminent, threat of my grandma's fate not depend on my participation in the horrid Games, I would've destroyed the holograms and locked myself up in my room when Reaping Day came around every year.

Four years. I had to push through for four years. My Game was the 70th, and for the next four years, I had to force myself to watch _children _mercilessly kill eachother. Excluding the one year where a boy, Tobias Oaken, had managed to win the games, all my victors had died. And I had to force myself to watch them die.

I laid in my bed, not sure if I had actually gotten any sleep. Staring at the plain ceiling, I wondered how I was going to manage to get myself through this.

A Quarter Quell.

Every 25 years, a Quarter Quell is held - which basically means that that year's Games will have some sort of horrible twist to make it even bloodier and disastrous than the others. All to remind us of the power the Capitol holds and how it can still ruin our lives even more.

I quote my grandmother in saying this.

I sighed and ran a hand over my face. I would eventually have to leave this bed and face the reality of my life. For now, rather than actually get out of bed, I just moved to turn on the radio sat on my bedside table. It was about three seconds later that my grandma came in.

"I heard the music! So I thought it was acceptable for to me come in and not disrupt your peaceful slumber." She said, holding a tray of assorted breakfast foods. I snorted and slid over to the other side of the bed. My grandma joined me in the bed and balanced the tray on our laps.

"Eat." She said. Well, more of demanded.

"I'm not hungry." I said. Since the 70th Hunger Games, my apetite had considerably gone down. But when this day, Reaping Day, came around, it was all gone.

My grandma rolled her eyes. "Fine. Miss out on my amazing cooking skills." She moved the tray to sit on the table, beside the radio. The same radio that changed songs to one I knew so well.

"Turn it off." I told my grandma, my voice seething and tense. The faked voice made my blood boil, reminding me of the Capitol.

Everything about today just seemed to remind me of the Capitol.

"But you sound so lovely." She replied, but turned it off nonetheless.

I sighed and rubbed my temples, thinking of how I had been changed into some Capitol pet, paid to sing for them.

President Snow, after seeing how big I became in the Capitol after my Games, wanted me to please them. Luckily I had decent voice to sell so I didn't have to sell my body like others. I _would _not be able to handle that. I was just glad that all I had to do was sing some songs that were written for me, as much as I despised every word that I sung. They were all about the power of the Capitol and _'Panem today! Panem forever!'_

Another thing that I had to do to keep my grandma alive.

"You have to get out of bed eventually." My grandma reminded, breaking me out of the small reverie.

"_Eventually_." I repeated. "Until such time, I'm just going to bask in self pity and lay in bed."

My grandma's gaze turned sad. She placed a loving hand on my cheek and lowered her lips to lay a loving kiss on my forehead. "You've been through a lot. Don't bask in self pity but rather use it make you stronger."

I scoffed. "I'm broken and you know it."

My grandma shook her head slowly. "You're not broken. You're doing better than most. You haven't let those Games deter you. You didn't change who you were and kill. You remained true to yourself." She said, reminding me again of the sheer dumb luck I had.

I was the only victor ever to have won the Games and not take a life to do so.

"Well, thank you for your words of wisdom." I said, laughing dryly.

The hologram turned on, cutting our conversation. President Snow came up to the podium to speak about how the Capitol was doing us a favour and remind us he still holds all the power, blah, blah blah. All I really cared for was the announcement of the latest twist for the Quarter Quell.

"Patches!" I called out. Within a short moment, the loveable but large dog came bouncing in. Without hesitation he jumped onto the bed and snuggled himself into my neck. I stroked his spotted fur, calming myself for the inevitable doom I would have to face from Snow's words.

Whatever horror would come for the unlucky kids, I would still have to mentor. I could only imagine what Snow has cooked up for the children of Panem, and how I would have to be there, telling of children what was the best way to not be murdered.

Patches, named for his fur, licked my face. He whimpered once, reminding me that he was right here, for me. He was my best friend and my family. I honestly wonder how I would've gotten through life without that dog. Without him and my ma, I had nothing to live for. They were all I had left and were all what were keeping me together.

_"Ladies and gentlemen!"_

President Snow had started speaking, children run and hide. My grandmother took a deep breath, as if her airways were suddenly constricted. Patches barked at the screen and normally I would've laughed, but I shushed him. I had to pay attention and listen to what Snow had planned for the Quell.

_"This is the 75th year of the Hunger Games. And it was written in the charter or the Games, that every 25 years, there would be a Quarter Quell. To keep fresh the memories of those who died in the uprising against the Capitol."_

I vaguely thought of how I would give all my meaningless money to play a part in an uprising.

_"Each Quarter Quell is distinguished by Games of a special significance." _Beside me, my grandma snorted. "_And now, on this 75th anniversary of the rebellion, we celebrate the third Quarter Quell."_ He went on to say, cheers beginning to erupt at his words. _"And that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol._"

I found my hands clenched tight into fists and my breathing coming out ragged. My grandma placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and Patches' paws lightly played at my fists, easing them open. I gave a soft grimace at the dog.

Snow held up the card which had written on it the Quell's big _fateful_ twist. _"On this third Quarter Quell Game, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of victors in each District!"_

Ringing. That's what I could hear. All I could hear. The ringing in my ears grew louder and louder, drowning out whatever else the President had to say, or the cheers coming from all the Capitolites.

It didn't take a mathematician to put two and two together. There was only one female victor from District 10.

Me.

I would have to go back into the Games.

The Games that ruined my life, I would have to go back into. There was no other way around it_; I was going back in. _I would have to do the training, do the interviews, do the assessments. I would have to relive it all again, despite trying to run away from it all for four years. Four years I had to try and build my life back up again. And in four minutes, it all came crashing down again.

I probably would've fainted, had it not been for the soft, _"No." _from beside me. The voice sounded so tired and in such disbelief. As if life had just screwed them over once again.

I looked over at my grandma. Tears were silently streaming down her face. Her old, worn and wrinkled face, tanned from the Sun. The face that reflected the mother I had only seen in all the photographs.

If there was a life ruined more by the Capitol, it was my grandma's. Cadence Willows, born into the District of Livestock whom was gifted with a beautiful daughter, my mother, Allegra. My father was an architect from the Capitol whom came to District 10 on business of some kind. He fell in love with my mother, knocked her up, and was later killed for it. My mother died giving birth to me, only staying alive to name me _Aurelia_. My grandpa followed suit, the drink taking his life.

So many lives taken on account of the Capitol. And it appears that in this Quell, my life will be taken too.


	3. A Rope Necklace

_I'm going to die. _

_I'm going to die. _

_I'm going to die. _

That was the only recurring thought that had been circling my brain for the past half hour. After the bombshell of the latest Quarter Quell twist had been revealed, I took a shower. I felt the coolness of the tiles as I sat in the shower, water pouring our of the faucet and out of my eyes. I couldn't do this. I had only barely managed to survive before when I was an untrained, ignorant child like the rest. Now, I was still the untrained, ignorant child, but the rest were highly skilled trained killers.

And to make matters even worse, I didn't no any of the other victors. While they had their little gatherings and tea parties, I was probably in bed, doing nothing productive but stroking Patches' fur. Sure I saw a couple of people at the Capitol when I was doing a show, but I don't think I actually know any particular victor's name. Compared to all the other victors whom knew each other and would have no problems forming alliances while I would be there all alone.

Allies.

I shot up and out of the shower and rushed out the front door, not even caring to even turn off the water in the shower. The wind felt even more brisk and cold, lapping over my damp clothes and skin. I rushed over the 25 years that separated our house and barged through the door. He was probably passed out from alcohol and the loud bang that announced my arrival would hopefully wake him up.

If not, my next move would. _"TOBIAS!" _I yelled. I began making my way through all the rooms in search for where he could be unconscious from drink this time. "Tobias! Where are you!?"

I made my way to the bedroom. Reaching for the doorknob, I found it locked. _Why would he lock it? _Tobias was always the more willing one to help our tributes on Reaping Day. I was the one the usually had to coax the other out. He would have to gently help me out of bed with help from my grandma and remind me that I was fine, we were safe and we had no reason to be afraid.

But we did. Today we did have a reason to be afraid.

"Tobias! Open the door!" I called through the door, proceeding to run into the door with my side, hoping to knock it down. Finally, I took a step back and kicked the door down.

Looking into the room, I could understand why he wasn't answering any of my calls.

There Tobias was, his eyes wide open and glazed over, as he slowly swung back and forth from the rope that connected his neck to the fan on the roof.

My feet failed and I collapsed, falling to the ground. He was gone. Tobias was gone. He couldn't take it anymore and he left this world. If Tobias, the boy who didn't break down once during the Games and still remained strong as a Victor who helped me, the weak one. He was the strong one out of the two of us.

But I guess Tobias' strong front was only because he had survived the Games and hadn't had to worry about going back in. But now he had to back in but couldn't take it anymore. No one could. I had laid in the shower for hours while Tobias had grabbed a piece of rope.

Without even looking up, I knew that rope had once belonged to me. I had told him once that rope tying was peaceful, that it eased the mind. Working your fingers on just trying to get the right loops was soothing because you were in control. If you made a mistake, it was easy to fix. And I personally found untied knots even more soothing due to the fact that it was something wrong and I could fix it.

I had given Tobias his own piece of rope as a way to cope.

He found another way to use it to cope.

The tears blurred my vision of the ground. It blurred until I couldn't even see what was in front of me. My vision had clouded, my heart constricting, my mind spinning and my ears ringing. My breath was coming out staggered. I felt as if some invisible person was pushing and pushing against my chest, not allowing me to breathe.

Barking. That was the last thing I remembered before blackness.

-

When I woke up, I found myself on a train.

The familiar whizzing of life passing by from the windows told me so. That and I was in a bed far more comfortable than the old, tattered one I had moved from my old room into my new one into the Victor's Village.

Rocking on a chair was my grandma. Her eyes were staring hard out the window. I wanted to get up and comfort her but I couldn't even bring myself to bring out any words of console. There was no way I could win again this time. All the Victors would form their allies and the one chance I had at an alliance was gone. Tobias was gone. From a rope I had given him.

"It wasn't your fault."

I laughed dryly. Trust my grandma to say that right when the thought had entered my mind. And trust her to try and deny the obvious truth.

"I was the one who had given him the rope."

"And he was the one who decided to use it to end his life."

At her words, tears filled my eyes again. "He's gone." I breathed.

"And remember why. When you go into those Games, remember why he did it. Remember who the real enemy is." She said. I grimaced, knowing there were would be at least five cameras in this room and my grandma could get into serious trouble for that.

But Tobias was already gone, if my grandma wasn't here, I don't know how I could face these Games.

Speaking of which, "How are you here?" I asked, "No family is allowed."

"You've been out for quite some time. Patches lead me to Tobias and when we found him." I flinched slightly at her words, "Well, it caused a big problem for the Capitol. What ever would they do with no male tribute in their Quarter Quell?" She asked sarcastically.

I tried to smile at her attempt to make me feel better - by downgrading the Capitol. Still, it came out as grimace. I tended to grimace more than smile these days.

"I don't supposed District 10 will have a bypass." I couldn't help but ask. I knew that she would say no, but I still had a small sliver of hope inside me, a small part which always hoped that things might change. This part of me was wishing, hoping, praying that Snow would find it in himself to show pity on the weak girl.

"No. But they allowed to pass Reaping Day since it would be fairly obvious who would be chosen." She said. I exhaled heavily, not sure if I was glad or not that I didn't have to attend Reaping Day. I would've like to face my District once more, get a chance to acknowledge them all and apologise about how I would inevitably fail them.

Ever so pessimistic.

"I had been packing your things when I was approached by Roger." Roger was a Peacemaker who was kind, friendly and only enforced heavy rule in times where it was utmost necessary. He turned a blind eye to the illegal trades happening and would happily even buy from the traders. "He said that he got a message from the Capitol," she went on, "which saying that I was allowed to come along since you had no fellow tribute, no other mentors-"

"No one else." I finished for her.

"Except Patches and I." She said. At that mention, the dog in question bounded into my room. I felt my eyes grow and I rushed out of bed to meet the dog halfway on the bedroom floor. I hugged Patches around his neck as he whimpered and licked all over my face.

I looked over at my grandma. "Would you believe that in a time long ago, dogs were used to aid the blind." She said, "And would you believe how amazing of an actress I am that I can pull off a blind woman."

I laughed. "I can't believe you were able to bring him."

"That dog is a human hidden in dog fur. He understood what I was doing with the Peacemakers and followed the act better than I probably did."

"What about the Peacemakers? They know you're not blind." I said, laughing slightly at Patches who had now pinned me to the ground and begin licking in ear, tickling it.

"Let's just say that when we get back, I'll be making Roger and the rest a big fruit basket." Ma said. "We were honestly so lucky."

"Well tell Roger I say thank you when you get back." My grandma gave me a pointed look and I rolled my eyes, "Be realistic, we're truly lucky if I make it out alive again."

"Ah yes. Last time was luck and the good will of Mr F. Now, you have a different, much better advantage." She said. I frowned, not sure what I really had. I had a dog and an elderly lady pretending to be blind. Nothing was really looking up for me.

"What?"

My grandma smiled. "Me?"

I raised an eyebrow. Even Patches had stopped his antics to stare at my grandma. She stood up and walked over to pass me some file. It was thick and upon opening, I realised that it was about other former tributes who'd won the Hunger Games.

"What's this?" I asked her, looking up at her smug face.

"While you were… asleep. I had taken to watching the Reapings and seeing who you'll be competing against. In there, you'll find everything you need to know about the other Victors."

I stared at her. I blinked several times before it fully set in. It took me a while to realise what my grandmother was doing.

"Are you… _mentoring me?"_

My grandma shrugged. "Call it what you will but I want my granddaughter alive and well. Even if it means planning out strategies and helping her train."

I frowned, "What are you on about? I'll only be able to train with the other Victors… or tributes or whatever in the Training Room."

My grandma laughed. "My dearest Aurelia, now that I'm here to help you, you're going to reminisce the lazy days we had." I'm going to train you so hard that when you enter the Games, you'll feel so confident that you'll win that you'll start working on that fruit basket with me."

I gulped. It was scary how intimidating my grandma could be when she wanted.

She stood up from the chair and dusted herself off, "Now, up you get. We're off to breakfast." I was about to say that I wasn't hungry but her stern look made me reconsider and just be quiet and follow her out to the mahogany dining table which was filled with breakfast foods.

_"__Aurelia!" _The familiar shrill of my old escort sounded around the room as I entered. She stood up and walked over to me with her hands in the air waiting to wrap themselves around me to embrace me in a tight hug.

At first, Taurus had gotten on my nerves quite badly being the epitome of a '_Capitolite'_. She gushed over the Games, talking about how amazing it was for me when I had first been _selected of the honour. _Back then, when I was just an everyday tribute of hers, she had been a very different person to the escort standing in front of me.

Before, she would do her hair and makeup in the normal Capitol fashion. I remember distinctly that when I had first met her, she had her hair dyed a vibrant green. It was styled in such a way that made I was reminded of that plant I read about in my school books called '_Seaweed'_.

Her clothes, well they were the weirdest things I had ever laid eyes on. Back then, she wore a dress that was coloured, circular bulbs pinned together. It looked like she had just been colourful bubbles, with them becoming more opaque in the areas which required modesty.

Now, her hair was brown. It didn't look natural brown, far too dark and rich for the ordinary browns I'd see on some people passing in my district. Not to mention the added coloured spots that created the leopard print effect on her hair. Her outfit consisted of a something feathered which reminded me of the coloured birds I could only see in the pictures in the books I had back home. She looked very… animal-like. I wasn't sure if it was because District 10 was livestock or not. And if it was, I wasn't sure if Taurus knew that the animals we had weren't these tropical animals she had dressed up as.

My attention was soon diverted to her skin. She had a natural tan to her face, which she'd usually add powder to make it pale, or paler. Not to mention the electric blue eyes I've only seen once before she'd added the colourful lens that changed their colour. But now, I couldn't detect anything to alter her natural appearance. Her tanned skin made her look fierce and her eyes were only rimmed with some coal to make them really _pop!_

"What do you think of my look? After I escorted your previous Games, I was shown how beautiful skin of our colour was. So," she took a deep breath, as if what had happened next was incredibly hard, "I put away the powder and decided to go change for an _au naturale _look!"

"You look gorgeous." I said. And I meant it. My olive skin was a few shades darker than hers due to me always being out with the livestock. Nevertheless, skin like mine and Taurus' was usually covered with powder or covered in gold tattoos. You very rarely saw people embrace their natural skin like Taurus had.

"Oh shush you." She said, waving a hand at me, "When we arrive at the Capitol and get you back to Vivee and Delphine, you'll be the star of the show."

I grimaced. "When do we arrive at the Capitol?"

"Around two days from now.. But for then on, we have _a lot _of preparation. Did Cadence give you the file?" Taurus asked.

"Yes, she did." My grandma answered for me as she sat down on at the dining table. Taurus waved her hands around theatrically once more before plopping down at the chair in front of my grandma.

"Come, sit, Aurelia! While you were… having a nap, your grandma have been working hard together to create the perfect schedule for you to fit in your extra training, beauty sessions, interviews and everything else upcoming to the Games!"

My eyebrows shot up. I never would've imagined my grandma to voluntarily work with someone from the Capitol. I looked over at her and she winked at me. I tried to give her a smile in thanks - it still came off as a grimace. She was doing this for me.

I tentatively reached for some fruit bread bun thing. I wasn't even sure what half the foods at the table were, and I didn't really care. In the Games I wouldn't be accustomed to such luxury so I tried not to splurge.

I blinked to see a hand outstretched with a plate loaded with food. I looked up to see my grandma giving me a stern look "Eat." She said. "You need to get your protein up."

"Cadence is right." Taurus said, reaching for the plate and setting it down in front of me. "We can't have you nibbling like a mouse if you want to win."

I wanted to say _what if I didn't want to win? _But I didn't. How could I when my grandma had kept her emotions in and decided to do nothing about but cry about her granddaughter's fate, but rather work hard on trying to help her. How could I do that to her, of all people? She was all I have left. If I left, she would left home alone with another loved one of hers gone due to the Capitol.

I looked over to my other side to see Taurus chattering animately away about something I wasn't paying any attention to. Seeing herjust how much I had impacted on her life and changed it made me realise that if I did die, she would actually feel something other than _"Oh no! Well there's go my tribute!" _

I couldn't be selfish. I had to try and win. For Taurus. For my grandma. For Patches. For Tobias. For my District. I couldn't let the Capitol crush me even more.

I was going to be different. I wasn't going to let the chips fall where they may these Games. I wasn't going to rely on some unknown sponsor to save my life. I wasn't going to do any of that.

Instead, I picked up my fork and knife and began eating the assorted protein foods my grandma had chosen for me. I was going to listen to her and Taurus' every word. I was going to research the strengths and weaknesses of those I would be going up against. I was going to train with all my might and be as prepared as I can be.

I was going to try my damn best to win these Hunger Games.

_I'm not going to die. _


	4. Research

Honestly, Taurus and my grandma should team up or something.

With those two working together, it was scary how much we got done in the 48 hours leading up to the arrival at the Capitol. After breakfast, they lead me to a small room at the very back of the train where a TV was placed. They began running some videos of the Reaped Victors' Games. While these played, they went through the profile of each tribute, informing me of their weaknesses, strengths, the ones I should watch out for, and the ones I should consider forming an alliance with.

At that last bit, I vehemently refused.

"No." I said, crossing my arms.

My grandma pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly not happy with my stubbornness. "Aurelia, these people all know each other. They're friends. You don't really know them _and_ you're branded as the quiet weak girl that won on a whim. If I were in their shoes, I'd hunt you down first."

I shrugged. "I don't care. I would rather work alone than with some people I don't trust and who could turn their back on me and kill me in my sleep."

"You just have to choose the right ones." Taurus said. "Like, definitely don't go for any of the Careers."

I scoffed. "It's insulting that you would think I'd consider that."

The screen turned to an old video of some girl called Mags. She didn't really look like a fighter but she seemed to be making a fish hook just by the materials around her. She seemed like someone who's more of surviving, not fighting.

"What about her?" I asked, looking over to my left where my grandma was sitting. She looked up from a the various Victor profiles she had made. The file she had given me was a copy of one she'd made for herself. Technically, Taurus wasn't allowed to have that sort of thing so Ma just made a copy for Patches… which tended to magically find it's way into Taurus' possession.

"That's Mags. District Four." My grandma informed me. "She's as old as me now."

My eyes grew. "Are you kidding me? An old lady is going into the arena?!"

"Like you, she was the only available female candidate." Taurus told me with a hint of sadness. That right there was a great example of Taurus' development from typical Capitolite to someone with actual humane feelings. People in the Capitol are probably making bets as to how long Mags would last and be raving over having an elderly in the Games.

Taurus actually saw it for how sad it was.

"She wouldn't be a bad alliance. I would be shocked if she actually any signs of dishonesty against you." My grandma said. "But the problem with teaming up with her is that if you want Mags, you get Finnick."

A crease found it's way in between my eyebrows. "Finnick?"

Taurus gasped. "You don't know _Finnick Odair?"_

I stared at her, feeling embarrassed that I didn't know who _Finnick Odair_ was. "No. But I'm guessing the sense that I should." I mean Taurus did _gasp_ at the revelation of me not knowing who he was.

Taurus lunged for the remote on the centre table and quickly fumbled around with it to change the video to one where a 14-year old was using a trident to spear some tributes caught up in a net. I gulped.

"Uh… I don't really think I want a merciless 14-year old for an ally, thanks."

Taurus rolled her eyes at my comment. "He's not 14 anymore silly. Now he's this." She said and changed the channel to a blonde haired man waving a hand at the crowds.

I wasn't going to lie, he was attractive. There was no other way to describe him. Bronze hair, tanned skin - a few shades lighter than mine. A tall, chiseled build that immediately told me that he definitely continued to train hard after his Games. I looked down at my file and flicked over to his profile.

He had won the 65th Hunger Games at the age of 14 - the youngest ever. This was after receiving a trident from a sponsor, one of the most expense gifts ever recorded; if not the most. My fingers skimmed over the picture of the small young boy who had to face those Games.

I looked back up at the screen to see present day Finnick smiling at the camera. It was faked and forced, clearly not pleased for being sent back into the Hunger Games. Still, his dimples showed when he smiled at the camera.

"He'll ally with Mags?" I asked.

"Definitely. She not only mentored him but practically raised him. He'll no doubt do all he can to protect her." My grandma said. "It's sweet but it's a weakness."

"Strengths?"

"Fair few." My grandma said with a small sigh, "As you can see, he's still quite athletic." Taurus made a weird sound at this, "He was pretty skilled with hand to hand combat in his first Games so one would assume that skill had heavily enhanced over the years."

Taurus made another weird sound at the TV. My grandma rolled her eyes at the escort who seemed lovestruck. She literally had both hands together and up against her left cheek, biting her lip and seeming to coo at the screen. Having enough, my grandma reached for the remote and changed it to another video.

"If you have anything else to add about Finnick, Taurus-"

"Okay so he's from District Four. That means fishing. If the arena has water, it'll be to his advantage. His an excellent swimmer. Not mention, his expert knots tying skills He can make a net out of pretty much anything." Taurus took a deep breath as she had been rushing this all out. "That's how he won his Games - creating traps with nets and spearing those caught with his signature trident. And I'm 100% certain they'll be a trident at the Cornucopia or else sponsors will be rushing to send him one."

"Why would they be rushing to send him one?" I asked.

"Finnick Odair is a Capitol favourite. Just look at Taurus." My grandma told me, flicking her head over to gesture at the escort. Taurus huffed and crossed her arms like a 5-year old but made no move to deny it. "Like you, Snow made him sell."

"What?" I asked.

"His body."

My breath left me at that. Hearing about anyone having to sell their body gave me a rush of anger. Finnick Odair was attractive, yes. He had incredibly good looks that would make any girl - or even guy - swoon. But my heart went out to him about how he was forced into prostitution because of something he was born with.

"Apparently to get a night with him, you gotta have a damn good secret." Ma said.

I frowned. _Secret?_ Upon seeing my confusion, Taurus went on to explain, "Rather than money, Finnick gets paid with secrets."

I chewed on my bottom lip, not really sure what to make of it. Mags would be the number one person I'd go to for an alliance, but would I want to join with Finnick? He seemed like the kind of person I would wake up to have them stand over me, weapon in hand as they stabbed my life away.

"How about we go through the rest of the tributes before you have to make up your mind on an alliance." Taurus suggested. She pressed a button on the TV to reveal the Reaping of District Two to see some girl with… _fangs?_

"Who's that?"

"Enobaria. Don't know her last name or really care for it. All I care for is you keeping your neck away from her."

I stared, wide-eyed at my grandma. Horrified doesn't cover what I felt about her words.

"She became famous after ripping out a fellow tribute's throat out with her bare teeth. After her Games she had them filed into fangs, inlaid with gold." Taurus told me in a matter of factly voice.

I groaned and leaned back into the arm chair I was in. At this rate, I would not find a single person I would trust enough to ally with. "How about I go back to my original plan and go it solo."

Taurus and Ma both gave me a pointed look. I groaned again.

"God if there was someone was stubborn as you're being right now…" My grandma muttered with a shake of her head.

Taurus jumped up. "That's it! Katniss Everdeen!"

Once again, I frowned. "Who?"

Taurus sighed and gave me a look that screamed out _'are you serious?!'_ I was half tempted to hold up my hands and wave a white flag in surrender.

"Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from District 12. Katniss volunteered for her younger sister. She's a quiet one who later stepped into the spotlight when it was revealed that the boy, Peeta, was in love with her. Alas! The star-crossed lovers of District 12 were born!" My grandma said with fake enthusiasm.

Taurus glared at her. "I'll have you know that they have brought history to the Games-"

"So has my granddaughter. For not killing a single person." She said, "And now, for going in their as the only tribute from a District. That is worth more than faked romance!"

"Faked romance?!" Taurus cried outrage, "I'll have you know-"

"Could you two quit it!" I shouted, cutting them off, "I thought you guys were getting along? I would have even thought you were becoming friends." And it's true, the way Taurus and my grandma had been going, they really did seem like friends.

"I wouldn't say friends." My grandma said, "Just two people with a mutual goal who have decided to tolerate each other for said goal."

"And what's that goal, may I ask?"

"Keeping you alive." Taurus answered.

I was quite for a moment. Taurus and Ma must've had a long discussion while I was unconscious. I hadn't realised just how hard they were working. It almost made me smile. I might've, had it not been for the footage of Enobaria ripping out some poor kid's neck out with her teeth make me want to vomit.

Grandma quickly changed the channel.

This time it was a video of an injured blonde boy laying down in some dark cave while a brown haired girl with a bow slung on her back and a plait bent down the kiss him. Taurus made another weird sound, like before with Finnick. Ma rolled her eyes but made no comment. It made the side of my mouth quirk up.

"I'm assuming this is Katniss and Peeta." I spoke.

Ma nodded. "Yeah. These two defied all odds by becoming the two winners of the 74th Hunger Games. They won by both about to swallow some poisonous berries so that the Gamemaker would have to let them both live or have no winner." She paused to take a long sip of the glass of water beside her. "It's said that they did it out of love." she said, her voice clearly skeptical.

"You don't believe they're in love?" I asked.

My grandma shook their head. "I don't know. They'll most definitely be allies and I highly doubt they would turn on each other but if they're in love as they claim, I don't think so."

"And that is your opinion." Taurus said in a strained voice. It was mildly amusing how much she was angered by how skeptical Ma was about the whole Katniss and Peeta thing.

"_Moving on,_" Ma said, stressing her words so Taurus would get to shut up about the whole thing. "They would be good allies for you but they're very distrusting, especially Katniss. And if it came down to it, I'm sure she would let an arrow fly."

I was skeptical about Katniss. I wasn't sure if I wanted her as an ally or not. Ma thought she was distrusting and I trusted my grandma's judgement more than my own.

But then came the segment about a small girl called Rue from District 11.

She was a petite girl who had a smile that would make you immediately fall in love with her. She was an innocent soul, a young child who made me want to take her away and hide her from all the horrors. In that little segment, I fell in love with the small girl who helped bring back Katniss for no reason at all.

I nearly started crying when she died.

Seeing her laying there, Katniss cover her in flowers as a final burial and acknowledgement to the young girl who was murdered by the Games. She was young, too young for all this. I felt like Katniss, who was breaking down slowly on screen, throwing flowers around in anger, tears streaming as she screamed out, almost if in pain.

When Katniss stood up and saluted the camera, that's when I knew. She was different. She wouldn't be playing these Games like everyone else, she wouldn't be killing for entertainment. She was a protector. And failing to protect Rue was something she took to heart. I knew then if Katniss were to kill me, it wouldn't be because she wanted to. She wouldn't do it to please the people in the Capitol. She wouldn't do it for the same reasons most killed in the Games.

"Where was I during all this?" I asked. I don't really remember many Games but this was last year. How could I not remember something like _this?"_

"Probably asleep in bed." Ma said.

"Well is there anything else about Katniss Everdeen?" I asked. Call me a stalker but I wanted to know as much as I can about her. Especially since it seems I slept through most of her Games - just like I did with most. Something I now regret - Katniss seemed like a valuable ally and had it for the current circumstances, I would've actually been interested in getting to know her.

Which is saying something because I tend to not give a single damn about Victors. I mean, for one, I didn't know who _Finnick Odair_ was. And his Games were _before_ mine.

"No." My grandma said but she gestured to my folder. I frowned at what she was doing. I looked over at Taurus who was yawning and stretching out her arms. For a small instant, her hand pointed to the far corner where the ceiling met the wall. My eyes found a hidden camera spying on us.

I swallowed and looked away inconspicuously. If Katniss Everdeen couldn't be openly discussed with cameras around, she must've done something _bad. _

Curiosity burning within me, I flickered through the folder to see what my grandma had been trying to convey with her eyes. There was nothing out of the ordinary about Katniss' profile - it was much the same as the rest. Continuing to flick through, my fingers found the back page of the file thicker than the front.

"Anyways, so next up is Johanna Mason from District Seven. Ruthless, especially with an axe…" My grandma's voice was sort of tuned out with my brain solely focused on figuring on the page in front of me. Ma was probably just trying to fill the silence so it wouldn't look suspicious anyways.

It was then that I found the small transparent triangle at the corner of the page. I peeled it back to reveal several documents which feel onto my lap. My eyes skimmed over a few. Katniss' name popped up several times along with another word.

_Mockingjay. _

The documents, as it turned out, were reports. About riots. Riots were happening in the Districts. The first was after Rue's death. The salute Katniss had done to the camera's had become a symbol of the Mockingjay. The Mockingjay being the symbol Katniss was to everyone in Panem: hope. Her stunt with the berries was viewed as an act of defiance against the Capitol, some even going as far to call it as an act of rebelling.

Katniss Everdeen had started a rebellion.

I took a small but deep breath. Snow was pissed. Why wouldn't he _not_ be? Some teenage girl with a bow had sparked riots in the Districts, and potentially begun a rebellion against the Capitol. Which is why he had done the Quarter Quell; _to get back at Katniss._ He wanted her dead but if he straight up killed her, it would probably make things worse for him.

I probably should've been mad at Katniss. I probably should've wanted to see her as soon as possible so that I could get back at her. I probably should despise her for the pain my grandma now has to go through with the risk of her granddaughter's life going back into the Games, for causing Tobias to end his life, for the mess she'd caused for 24 Victors.

But really, I wasn't any of that, I just wanted to arrive as quick as possible at the Capitol so that I could get a chance to discuss the whole rebellion thing with Ma and not have to worry about prying ears. But more also, I wanted to finally meet Katniss Everdeen. Originally, I had just wanted to see the girl whom had brought me to tears by doing that amazing thing of burying Rue.

Now, I just wanted to shake her hand and tell her well done for basically telling Snow to _suck it. _


	5. Butterfly Knives

**HAI THERE. **

**OH MI GOSH. FIRST AUTHOR'S NOTE. HAHHA ALERT THE MEDIA. **

**Or not... Cause, you know, that would be time consuming, and quite difficult. Let's just stick with that it's my first author's note for this story - and that half of you probably won't care. **

**MOVING ON. **

**ALRIGHTY. SO I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS STORY HAS GOTTEN THE BIGGEST RESPONSE COMPARED TO MY OTHER STORIES WHEN I STARTED THEM. **

**FOR THAT, I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH. **

**I KNOW IT MAY SEEM STUPID BUT I AM ETERNALLY GREATFUL TO ALL THOSE WHO TAKE TIME OF OUT THEIR SPECTACULAR LIVES TO CLICK FOLLOW OR FAVOURITE. OR EVEN MORE TIME TO ACTUALLY LEAVE A REVIEW, TELLING ME WHAT THEY THINK.**

**Seriously, if I could, I would deliver y'all each a fruit basket. **

**I HOPE YOU HAD A MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE AN AMAZING NEW YEAR. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update the next few weeks due to the whole Christmas/New Year fiasco. BUT I WILL TRY MY UTMOST HARDEST BECAUSE THIS WAS A LATE UPDATE AND I OWE YOU. **

**Have a splendid day, you sexy beast ;)**

* * *

Every Victor has their specific... _attribute_.

It's their one thing that their known for, most commonly taken in the form of weapon. Take Katniss or Finnick for example, besides their respective stubbornness and good looks, they have their bow and arrows, and trident. That's what they were known for, what they were highly skilled at and would give them their best chances at surviving.

But not only those two; Enobaria had her messed up teeth, the two Morphlings had their camouflaging abilities, Mags had her cunning survival skills, and that bald man from Three, Beetee, had his knowledge with technological things.

Following the few hours spent researching the Victors I would be facing in the arena, my grandma started my training. First, we tried to find the _'right' _weapon for me. Which brings me to what I was saying before - everyone else had their own specific skill set and I had nothing.

Through trial and error, I found the swords were too heavy for me. The bowstring kept hitting my arm, no matter what I did and severed any potential of me being an archer. And when I tried to use a trident, I swung my arms around awkwardly until a random vase nearby was promptly smashed.

It was useless. I _felt _useless.

"Don't worry about it." My grandma would say in reassuring voice, "We'll find something." She kept saying after each failure.

Lunchtime rolled around. Well, it was actually late afternoon but my grandma had postponed lunch so we could have longer time in seeing me fail with using weapons.

It was times like these I really wondered how I had managed to win the Hunger Games.

We were eating steak - "_Meat equals protein!" _Taurus had said - and had been given special, sharper knives to be able to cut through the meat easier. Taurus had been prattling on about something Quell related. I wasn't in the mindset to listen to anything, feeling down from the weapons test session.

I didn't notice I had been twirling the cutlery knife until my grandma made mention of it.

"You seem to be wielding that pretty good." She stated. I tuned out from the day dream I had been having and looked to see her nod at my hand. I was twirling the knife in between my fingers, turning it up, down and around.

I promptly stopped, waiting for the scolding of playing with knives. I looked down and placed it beside the plate. "Sorry." I apologised.

"If anything, you should apologise for not telling me of you being good with knives."

I snapped my head up. My grandma smirked, taking a sip of her drink. "You know," she went on, "We still have to try your abilities with knives and well, I think we've found your weapon."

"I've only used knives when cooking." I said. "Not to hurt someone."

"But you've cleaned animals before." My grandma said. I was quite at that, one of the requirements of working in the District of Livestock was to skilled in the process of getting meat ready to be shipped off to the Capitol. It was disgusting and something I had many nightmares of. I was beyond glad that I didn't have to that anymore thanks to becoming a Victor.

"Yes but I don't really feel like skinning people." I remarked dryly.

"You don't have to use it for harm. You just gotta have something to be able to defend yourself with." My grandma reminded me.

I grimaced. That's right, in a couple of days I'll be going into an arena and expected to kill for my life. Again.

I pushed my plate forward. The reminder of skinning animals and the imminent Quell making me lose my appetite. I don't care if I was low on protein or whatever, I could start eating when I wasn't feeling… like this.

"Not hungry?" My grandma asked.

"No. And I apologise for not the drawback this may be to my protein intake." I stated coldly.

My grandma just laughed. It wasn't cynical or faked or dried. It was a genuine laugh. "Thank goodness! I was itching to take you around and start training you with knives."

I scoffed but couldn't hid the smile that came. My grandma called an Avox around to get him to grab as many knives as he can from the kitchen. Just as the Avox left the room, in came Taurus.

"We not hungry?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Nah, we're going to just continue training."

I felt my grandma's smile looking over at me.

"My granddaughter apparently has a knack with knives." My grandma spoke.

I shook my head, looking down at my plate and away from Taurus' impressed eyes. "I wouldn't call it a knack."

"She's being modest." My grandma said.

"She's being honest." I corrected, speaking in third person.

Taurus, however, was having none of our shenanigans. She rolled her eyes and said, "Aurelia, hush. You've got your weapon now. All we need now is for you to just become a master of it!"

I frowned. "We arrive in the Capitol in," I looked down at my watch, "23 hours."

Taurus looked taken aback slightly. "Well… nothing's impossible. We just have to remain optimistic and keep trying our hardest!" She said in an enthusiastic voice, clearly try to 'rev' everyone up.

My grandma must've been glad for her words because all she said to Taurus was,

"I think that's the smartest thing to ever leave your mouth."

Taurus rolled her eyes but we could all see the small smile on her face. More and more I could really see the slow development between my grandma and Taurus in becoming friends. Taurus mentioned something about pastry when the Avox returned with a plastic box filled with many, many different types of knives. He placed them on an empty space on the table, in between some dishes. I got up to look at them, as did grandma. Taurus just gracefully sat on the furtherest seat from the knives, eyeing the with worry.

Normally, I would've laughed at a Capitolite being afraid of weapons since they're the ones who cheer when children use them to murder one another. But this was Taurus, so I just sent her a pitiful smile and continued searching through the box.

There were small knives, there were big ones. There were your everyday ones and ones I had never even seen before.

"What's this?" I said, holding one up.

Ma looked up and looked back down, replying with "A butterfly knife."

"Why is it called a butterfly knife?" I said, holding it up to inspect it, "It looks nothing like a butterfly." I tried to open it, seeing it would spread out and somehow give a reason for it to be named after butterflies. But no avail. Still, they were interesting as to how they moved and I soon found myself slowly manoeuvring the blades.

My grandma took a deep breath, as if to calm herself. "Aurelia, could you please stop with all the-"

I looked up to see what had cut her off and I was quite shocked at it myself. Now my grandma was as tough as stone. She had seen a lot in her days and it took a lot to move her, especially to shock her. As a child, I had countless times tried to prank her, jump out out of hiding places and scare her but no avail, she would only laugh and hold a hand to her chest and say that I had scared her.

I knew better.

She wasn't scared of my pathetic attempts. I tried harder to scare her. I once stayed in a closet for an hour while she read in the library before I pounced. She didn't even blink at me, she just looked up from her book, frowned, and went back to reading.

So the fact that she was staring at me with her mouth open, her eye wide and the face that resembled someone finding out President Snow had just been murdered, I was freaked out.

"What did I do?" I asked, rushing out to find out how I managed to give her the shock I had spent my whole life wanting to give her.

"You're… just… using them so…"

I looked down to see the so called butterfly knife I had been playing in my hands. I hadn't seen anything like it before but it was really fun to play with. I had a couple of small cuts from when I had flipped it wrong but overall, I found it pretty easy to manoeuvre. I could involve the quick wrist movements I developed from knot tying and my general experience with knives to be able to open the butterfly knife, twist it around and close it back up again.

I won't lie, I felt pretty good with how easy I could do it. Sure, I wasn't pro but it the one thing I wasn't completely hopeless at. It was something I had felt that if I were to acquire some int he arena, my hopes of surviving would surely increase.

Well, that was until I saw how my grandma reacted to me using them. Now, I feel that I had been using them wrong or something.

"I'm using them what? Wrong? I dunno, I just picked them up. Sorry. I should've waited for you. You were just going through the knives and I saw them and got curious. I wasn't even sure if I was using them right I was just-"

"You were using them perfectly. That's why I'm so surprised." My grandma said. She looked up at me a smiled. She clapped her hands together and did a small jump. "I can't believe it! No practice and you can already use them!"

"Well. I uh. I was just-you know." I bit my lip and scrunched up the right side of my face. "It was pretty easy."

"And now we know how you're going to win these Games." My grandma said, a mischievous twinkle coming into her eyes. "Now, with a bit of training, you'll become professional."

I don't know what my grandma had been going on about with _a bit of training. _After first picking up butterfly knives and finding out that I could actually use them, they didn't leave my hands. Even when my grandma had me running laps around the train, doing aerobic exercises or just even being quizzed on my fellow tributes, they were in my hands being flipped around.

The only times they did leave my hands was when they were being thrown across the room. I had developed toned arms from helping out around the house and the runs I went on, but they were _toned. _They weren't the big, muscular arms that knife throwing required. Hence, my grandma made me spend a good six hours of throwing knifes across the dining room. I could understand why she was pushing me so hard. Six hours prior, I couldn't even make a knife stick into the wood. Now, well, let's just say that I was mush more confident.

We'd be arriving at the Capitol the next morning. After having a day filled with Cadence Willows-filled training, I was quite famished. A feeling I hadn't felt in _years. _

"I've picked out a dress for you to wear for when you arrive." Taurus said in a sullen voice at dinner. Grandma held a smug smile at the escort's mourning for the walls damaged by my training. "I'm not sure which tributes _have _arrived there. But you do have two days free until official training starts."

I shrugged. I didn't have any friends or any shows in the Capitol. The only thing I could see myself doing at that place was continuing my training. "As long as there's somewhere for me to train." I said with a mouth full of rice.

My grandma, not vexed by my lack of table manners, answered with a calm. "I don't think there are many places for you to securely train. And if any tributes caught wind of you starting early, they'll peg you as a target."

"And while we want to rid the image of the sweet innocent Aurelia Willows who's too afraid to stand up for herself and fight, we don't want to overdo it so that you'll have enemies on your tail while in the Quell." Taurus told me, taking a sip of some pink coloured liquid.

"Well can I at least train in my room." I asked, referring to the room each tribute was given when they wanted to sleep, chill or get away from all the _raving fans. _Note the sarcasm.

Taurus let out a squeak of exasperation, coming out like gasp as she flung an hand in the air, as if dismissing me, and whipped her head around. My grandma just rolled her eyes and gave me a deadpanned look.

"This is the time for you to make friends. Allies." She said.

"What if I don't want allies?" I challenged.

"Aurelia, we've been over this."

"Look, Mags is going to be with that Finnick guy and while I wouldn't mind congratulating Katniss on fucking Snow over," Taurus gasped at my language. "I don't trust her." I continued on.

Ma pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly tired with my stubbornness. "It's not about trust. It's about survival."

"Ma, you know I do better on my own."

"Alright! I have an idea!" Taurus said, loudly clapping her hands together. "What about one day of training in the room and one day of walking out and about in the Capitol."

My grandma pointed a finger at Taurus as she looked at me. "There's an idea."

I groaned. I knew I wouldn't be able to refuse that offer because then I would just be annoying the two people who were trying their damn best in keeping me alive. And hey, if I lose - which let's face it, there's a big chance of that happening - at least I would have gone out while fulfilling my grandma's last wishes.

So I gave in and agreed. Grandma smiled brightly at me and Taurus all but giggled in glee.

"This is so exciting! I can take you around the Capitol, show you all the amazing things it has to offer. Introduce you to some sponsors, go shopping with your prep team! Oh my! We can go to _Cinna's!"_

Once again, I frowned and said, "Who?"

Taurus opened her mouth, but Ma bet her to it. "Cinna was the stylist for District Twelve last year. He made the dress for Katniss which gave off artificial flames and gave her the name _Girl On Fire. _Since then, he's become a hit in the Capitol."

_"__Everyone's _wearing him!" Taurus added.

I didn't' really see the point in looking for clothes besides the outfit I was going to wear to Caesar's interview. And that's if my prep team hadn't already planned that all out for me. Wasting money on clothes I may not even get to wear was beyond pointless to me. Yet, staring into the bright, excited eyes of one Taurus, I couldn't bring myself to voice any of my cynical thought and merely just smiled and agreed.

When dinner was over, I retired to my room and laid out on my bed. I had been playing around with a butterfly knife when my grandma walked in. She didn't say anything of greeting but just came and sat on the edge of my bed. I sat up and spied a white envelope in her hands.

"Aurelia, there's something you should know." She said in the voice she only reserved for the utmost serious situations. When she used that voice, you just _knew _that it was no laughing matter_. _There was no humour - despite her being the most optimistic person I know, and her being the person that could make any dark situation, just that little bit lighter.

How do you think I survived being reaped for the Hunger Games?

"Your father… before he met your mother… there was another woman."

I stared. What the hell was she on about? _Another woman? _My father loved my mother as if she was the only girl in the world. That was what everyone had told me; that they were soulmates. They loved each other and only each other. I couldn't even fathom what my grandma was even beginning to mean by her words.

"It was you father's childhood sweetheart. She died before they could get married, but she did birth him a son." My grandma said, She opened up the envelope and pulled out a picture. It was old, you could tell by its worn out state, but it still displayed with excellent clarity the person.

It was a man, Within his late twenties or early thirties. He had dark skin and short, black hair. His eyes were the kind of eyes that would make you think he could see into your very soul. They too, were dark. And smouldering. It matched his face. The face of someone who seemed impassive. No, not impassive. His face seemed… _defiant. _He wasn't smiling, there was none of the usual features someone would have when asked for a photo. He just looked liked someone who was quiet and thoughtful.

"This is…"

"His son. Your step-brother." My grandma said. "He's name is Cinna."

I stared at her, my look turning incredulous. Cinna didn't seem like a very common name… And I would hedge a guess and say, "As in the Cinna that-"

"Taurus was talking about." My grandma confirmed with a nod. "Yes."

I took a deep breath, it came out shaky. "Why'd you keep this from me?"

Grandma edge herself closer and I shuffled aside to make space for her. She settled into bed and took so long to reply that I thought she wasn't going to for a while.

"Cinna contacted me after you went into the arena. He'd been trying to make a name for yourself as a designer but was struggling. When you were reaped, he tried so hard to be your stylist but it was too late, he only managed to get in touch with me just after you boarded the train. When you came back, I asked Cinna if he wanted to come and see you but he said he probably shouldn't because he'd was working on a project and was worried that it might hurt you even more."

I scoffed and crossed my arms. "That sounds like excuses."

I didn't notice my grandma reaching for the file she'd compiled on all the Victors I would face. She sighed and began flicking through slowly. I frowned, not sure what she was doing (I was pretty sure she'd _memorised _that thing) until she stopped on the part about Katniss and the rioting she'd sparked. She flicked through and stopped at a picture where Katniss was spotted with a pale blonde haired boy I recognised as Peeta Mellark and a dark skinned man behind the two.

It was Cinna.

"Say what you will but I think that maybe he just got caught up in so many things and didn't want to contact you and only hurt you. Maybe he was worried you might think he was distant and resent him for it."

If you didn't know better, and Ma well enough, you wouldn't have picked up on the almost imperceptible nod she gave as she inconspicuously flicked through the file.

But I knew better. And I knew my grandma. I knew what she was trying to say. That Cinna was in on the rebellion. He was in on trying to over throw the Capitol. Thus, creating respect for the man who was raised in a city, grew up with its customs and still had the brain to say that they were wrong. This man who knew and helped Katniss Everdeen. The man who didn't colour himself but remained neutral despite being a Capitolite.

This man who's my half brother.

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming urge to get to the Capitol as soon as possible.

* * *

My overwhelming urge to get to the Capitol diminished the moment we arrived. I had forgotten about all the screaming people that would be waiting to see me. It made me wonder how they even knew when and where I would be arriving. Did they wait for me or what? And why? Was this some final farewell to my death.

Would you look at that. I hadn't even stepped off the train and I was already depressed.

I wasn't sure if I should be glad with Taurus slightly delaying my grand arrival at the Capitol with her fretting over my appearance. Since my prep team was going to meet me in the Capitol, that left Taurus the only one able to deem me appropriate to go outside. I was glad, since I couldn't give crap about how I looked, and my grandma was more concerned about getting to sleep in a bed that wasn't on a train.

Once Taurus allowed the doors to be opened, I braced myself, put one a fake smile and walked out. I gave out a few waves and even blew a few kisses, hoping to kickstart my new image of the girl who's no longer afraid to stand up for herself. Taurus was walking in front of me and my grandma was going to come out later when everyone had gone.

Not all of the Capitol needed to know my grandma had come with me.

I followed Taurus into a sleek black car which would be taking us to my room. Taurus began prattling off about a schedule but I wasn't following. My mood had damped seeing the Capitol go past us. It's rich qualities mixed in with people who look like they've come from above. It was like I had been transported into another world - wait, no. I _had _been transported into another world. And I hated it.

We arrived at white, pristine building which would be the place where all the tribute's rooms would be. Taurus went to go speak with someone about getting my room ready, leaving me alone in a busy lounge room. Several people had noticed me and some even had the nerve to stop, stare and even point.

I felt like an animal. Being poked, probed, manipulated - something for other's enjoyment. Having had enough with being the freak, I stood up and marched with my head up to the sign signifying the toilets. I ran into the girls and, making sure no one was around, burst out crying. Taurus said that she wasn't skilled enough for make up and left my face blank, for which I was currently so glad for.

The tears were for anger. I was sure that I wasn't just breaking down. No, it was to early for that. I had just forgotten what it was like to be a puppet. Something twisted and turned for people's enjoyment.

I grabbed more toilet paper than I needed. I wiped my eyes, furious at myself for crying at something so stupid. These people were meaningless and there was a rebellion going on. Times would and are changing. I just have to push on through these few days until I can battle it out, or die trying.

I there the toilet paper into the bin and smooth down my dress. It was sleek, black and red and very hugging. Taurus said it made look older and, I quote _"sexier." _I didn't really care for it, but smoothing it down was just so I'd feel prepared on going back out there. Shuffling my hair so that my face was covered, I pushed open the door.

And walked out to be pushed back down.

I looked up, expecting a wall to have materialised in front of the toilet door. But I didn't find a door, I found a muscular body with blonde hair and a pair of very nice eyes. Eyes that widened at the sight of me. I wasn't sure why - maybe because I was sprawled out in front of them.

But when I realised who it was, all my thoughts just stopped. My train of thought just died and was replaced by one thought, and one thought alone.

_Damn, Finnick Odair really is attractive. _


End file.
